Top Odisha bureaucrat buys time to appear before SCW

Senior bureaucrat, 1983 batch IAS officer Taradatt, today did not appear before the Odisha State Commission for Women (OSCW) and sought time to appear before it for counselling in a complaint filed by his wife alleging him of subjecting her to moral turpitude while having an extra-marital relationship.

The senior bureaucrat through a time petition to the OSCW sought any date after the Dussehra holidays for counselling.

However, his wife, renowned educationist and researcher in Sanskrit, Indulata Das appeared before the OSCW.

Das is learnt to have inquired about why her husband had failed to appear before the Commission. The OSCW had served notices to both Taradatt and his wife for counselling at 3.30 PM today.

“I don’t know why he failed to appear before the Commission. If the matter is resolved, it would be better. The case is pending since long. I came to know that he has filed time petition,” Indulata Das said.

“He has filed a time petition. We would take appropriate action if he fails to appear before the Commission as per the law,” SCW chairperson Lopamudra Buxipatra said.

Indulata has alleged before the Commission that her husband has an adulterous relationship with a woman IAS officer based at Delhi. She had even drawn the attention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about her plight but to no avail.

Earlier, the senior bureaucrat in his reply to the OSCW had stated that his wife Indulata is afflicted with mental illness.

However, Indulata has denied of being a patient of mental illness and has rather queried if that was true why her husband didn’t take her to a doctor for treatment.

Earlier, on July 16 this year two days after Indulata approached the OSCW and levelled ‘moral turpitude’ charges against her husband, Taradatt had refuted the allegations.

Taradutt had said: “Indulata’s allegations are false; I am ready to face any test.”

“I have maintained the sanctity of marriage and she is suspicious by nature,” the 1983 batch IAS officer had said.

Notably, Indulata had earlier filed a written complaint with the Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell on December 5 last year alleging that her husband is subjecting her to mental and physical torture. She had also complained of a threat to her life and had sought police security.

It may be recalled that the Opposition had created a furore in the state Assembly in March this year seeking reply from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on steps taken to provide security to her.

The senior IAS officer allegedly has an extra-marital affair with a woman bureaucrat against whom allegations of compromising national security have been levelled earlier, Congress leader Tara Bahinipati had claimed.